decorous
/ˈdɛkəɹəs/ adjective
- adjective Marked by behaviour, manners, etc., regarded as proper, tasteful, and in accordance with accepted standards; becoming, seemly.
- adjective (obsolete) Appropriate, suitable.
Synonyms
becomed menseful chaste continent correct upstanding delicate decent desertful deserving dutiful duteous good honest innocent meritorious modest moral noble right becoming comely comme il faut seemly
Antonyms
dedecorous indecorous undecorous bad discommensurate improper inappropriate malapropos inapt incommensurate inept inopportune
Etymology
* Latin decōrus (“becoming, fitting, proper, suitable”) + English -ous (suffix adjectives denoting presence of a quality in any degree, typically an abundance). Decōrus is derived from decor (“elegrance, grace; charm beauty”) + -us (suffix forming adjectives); and decor is from decēre, the present active infinitive of decet (“to adorn; to be decent; to be proper or suitable”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- (“to perceive; to take”).
* Possibly also influenced by Late Latin decorōsus (“beautiful; elegant”), from decoris + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of’ forming adjectives from nouns). Decoris is the genitive singular of decus (“beauty, grace, ornament, splendour; distinction, glory, honour”), from Proto-Indo-European *déḱos (“that which is proper”), from *deḱ- (see above).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Suitable to a character, or to the time, place, and occasion; marked with decorum; becoming; proper; seemly; befitting; as, a decorous speech; decorous behavior; a decorous dress for a judge.
Etymology [L. dec, fr. decor comeliness, beauty; akin to decere. See Decent, and cf. Decorum.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “decorous”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details